Karnataka BJP leader arrested for sexually abusing woman in 2023 | Latest News India

Savitha, assistant inspector of Puttur police station, said the complaint against Arun Kumar Puthila was filed on Sunday by the woman who accused him of sexually harassing her in a Bengaluru hotel in June 2023. She also accused him of blackmailing her with photos, selfies and videos of the incident. She filed the complaint on Saturday.

Savitha quoted the woman as saying, “I was an admirer of Puthila's ideology. We came in contact through social media. In the first week of June 2023, he asked me to come to a hotel in Bengaluru where he sexually harassed me. Later, he called me wherever he went. He exploited me both physically and mentally by promising to give everything to my daughter throughout her life.”

“He even took photos and videos of us, which he later used to blackmail me. After the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he cut off contact with me. Now I have no money to pay the rent and am jobless,” she said.

Responding to the allegations, Puthila, who contested unsuccessfully from Puttur constituency last year, said: “These are false allegations made by the woman against me. It looks like a planned act. I do not know the woman.”

The official said that based on the complaint filed by the woman, Puthila was charged under sections 417 (cheating and dishonest inducement), 354A (sexual harassment and advances) and 506 (criminal intimidation or threat) of the Penal Code.

On Monday, Puthila was released on bail by the JMFC of Puttur.